Sunday, July 09, 2006

FACTBOX-Five facts about Milan Milutinovic

July 9 (Reuters) - Former Serbian President Milan Milutinovic and five others accused of war crimes in Kosovo in 1999 stand trial at the U.N. war crimes tribunal.

Here are five facts about Milutinovic. * Milutinovic, 63, a former ambassador to Greece for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Minister of Foreign Affairs was elected president of Serbia in 1997, succeeding Slobodan Milosevic.

* As Milosevic became president of the Yugoslav Federation, political power shifted and Milutinovic had little political influence. But he led the Yugoslav government's negotiating group in the French town of Rambouillet in 1999 which ended in an impasse and resulted in the 78-day NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.

* According to the indictment, Milutinovic had personal responsibility as president of Serbia and had at least formal control of Serb forces who killed hundreds of ethnic Albanians and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.

* Milutinovic is accused of deportation, murder as crime against humanity, murder as a violation of laws and customs of war and other inhumane acts during the war in Kosovo. This includes the persecution of ethnic Albanians and the forcible deportation of about 800,000 civilians and the murder of hundreds of civilians.

* Milutinovic, who received a law degree from the University of Belgrade, surrendered to the tribunal in January 2003, a month after his five-year term as Serbia president ended.